Project #1872
Carbon Fibre Lifting Beam
Brief:
Design and make a lifting solution to pick up a 40 foot boat and put it on the deck of a superyacht support vessel.
The lifting points on the vessel are already defined, but the centre of gravity has not been confirmed.
The solution must be light weight, capable of being swiftly deployed without assembly, and must stow compactly.
There is limited hook height above the vessel when on deck, so the solution needs to fit within a very limited space.
The design needs to be fully verified and physically tested.
Solution:
A carbon fibre H frame, with directly coupled rotating transverse beams.
Transverse beams swing through 90 degrees to stow in line with the main beam. Diagonal braces secure transverse beams in lifting orientation and stow under the main beam when not in use.
Main lifting tang with seven lifting points to ensure a balanced lift can be obtained. Counterweights to keep the main beam horizontal when lifted off centre.
Main beam over 4 metres in length with 2 metre transverse beams.
Full structural engineering following class rules (Lloyds and GL). FEA analysis. Custom strops destructively tested to prove capability. Inspected proof lift.
Rotating Joint.
The main pin is running in naval bronze bushes and passes through the longitudinal beam.
Backing Plates and tapped plates
How do you get plates 2 metres up a beam? We slid them into the beam on a sledge and pneumatically lifted and clamped them for bonding.
Main lifting tang.
Billet machined from 316 stainless steel.
Diagonal Brace Detail
Billet machined components with quick release pin. Every little detail is important.
Physical Lift Test
Not a glamorous photo but it shows the beam undergoing an inspected test lift. A crane exerts the test force against static weights and a certified inspector checks that everything is performing as intended. With high factors of safety and a thorough design and build process, this was the last tick in a box.
